Regional rules!
I’ve just voiced my first advert in a West Midlands accent. I grew up in the area but spent years trying to develop a more “neutral” sound, so it felt strange to revisit it. But, the client was happy and I proved I can still do it! The campaign is for the West Midlands Big Drink Debate, and it’s running on Unity FM in Birmingham.
Doing this job set me thinking, so I’ve been musing about accents on my Gobs on Sticks blog this week…
PONS deal extended!
The first of my short stories, Roald Dahl’s “The Way Up To Heaven”, was very well-received by PONS, and I’ve just been asked to record two more: one by Ian Rankin and another by Nick Hornby. More details to follow.
TEFLs of the Unexpected
PONS GmbH are one of the largest publishers of dictionaries and schoolbooks in Germany, and today I’m helping them with a new project. They’re getting ready to launch a new product for English language-learners. It’s a series of short stories, so there’ll be a book with the English text and its German translation, and an accompanying audio CD in English – which is where I come in, as the narrator.
The first two stories are some classics from Roald Dahl: “The Way Up To Heaven”, and “Parson’s Pleasure” – both classic tales of the unexpected, from the great man himself.
As Max Bygraves might say, “I want to tell you a story…” And to that end, there’s a excerpt, below.
Trivia time: Did you know that the theme tune to the ITV series “Tales of the Unexpected” was composed by the same man who composed the theme tune to Doctor Who, the late Ron Grainer?
Pulling away from the pack
I’ve just come back from Reading, where I spent the morning recording racing commentary clips for a set of computer games for Swedish software developers, Praetorsoft, through Matinee Sound & Vision. The idea is that the computer will select the right clip from a selection we’ve recorded to provide a narrative as the game unfolds, from “They’re under starter’s orders”, through to “Number 8 wins”, and so on. The games are based on horse, dog and drag racing (that’s cars, not blokes in dresses).
Raptors and Angels
A bloody morning in store today. Not literally, but in terms of the script material. I have voiceovers to record for two TV programmes. The first is for the History Channel, as the reversioning of “Jurassic Fight Club” continues. Today it’s the turn of the world’s first “Gang Killers” – those velociraptors made famous in the movies, and there’s talk that the series may be rebranded for the UK too.
Then it’s on to the Biography Channel, for a profile of a modern-day gang – the Hell’s Angels.
Transmission dates for both still to be confirmed.
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Hear a quick demo now!
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